Robert George Tatum (August 20, 1891 – January 27, 1964) was an American

mountain climber Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

and Episcopal priest. He, along with

Hudson Stuck Hudson Stuck (November 4, 1863 – October 10, 1920) was a British native who became an Episcopal priest, social reformer and mountain climber in the United States. With Harry P. Karstens, he co-led the first expedition to successfully climb Den ...

, Harry Karstens, and

Walter Harper Walter Harper (1893 – October 25, 1918) was a mountain climber and guide of mixed white and Alaska Native ancestry. On Saturday, 7 June 1913, he was the first person to reach the summit of Denali (Mount McKinley), the highest mountain in North ...

made up the expedition that was the first to successfully climb

Denali Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...

, the tallest mountain in North America, on June 7, 1913.

Early life

Tatum was born on August 20, 1891, in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, the son of George, a photographer, and Emma Tatum. He grew up in Knoxville, and went to Sewanee: The University of the South. In June 1911 he moved to Nenana, Alaska, to visit his brother Howard, who was working at an Army outpost. That summer, Robert worked as a surveyor for the government; after that he taught at an Episcopalian mission school.

Denali expedition

Episcopalian archdeacon

, who would later become the expedition leader, first met Tatum during a regular visit to the mission school. Stuck asked Tatum if he would join him in ascending Denali (Mount McKinley) for the first time; he immediately accepted. In preparation for the climb, Tatum hiked about , including a trip to Tanana Crossing with other missionaries to establish a new mission. On March 17, 1913, the expedition left Nenana to climb McKinley. Besides Stuck and Tatum (who was the cook), the party consisted of Harry Peter Karstens, who led the expedition with Stuck;

, an

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

who had been Stuck's travelling companion for three years; and two Gwich'in teenagers, Johnny Fredson and Esaias George, who helped at

base camp Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sp ...

and brought the dog teams back down before the summit. On June 6, they arrived at their final camp after three months of sometimes very dangerous climbing. Early the next morning, the party set off to reach the summit. Around noon, they finally reached the top of Mount McKinley, at an elevation of . During the hour and a half they spent on the summit, Tatum planted a flag he had made earlier out of handkerchiefs and other miscellaneous items. He compared the view to "looking out of a window of heaven." They began the descent, which only took two days to get back to base camp. They returned to Tanana on June 20, just over three months since they left.

Later life

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Tatum served as a Corporal in the US Army. On June 7, 1922, Tatum was ordained an

Episcopal priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in Nenana, but he soon returned to his hometown of Knoxville, where he ministered until his death on January 27, 1964.

Legacy

Mount Tatum was named by Bradford Washburn in about 1945 for Tatum. The mountain is located in the

Carpe Lee Jae-hyeok (), better known as Carpe, is a South Korean professional ''Valorant'' player for T1. He was professional ''Overwatch'' player formerly. He began his esports career playing ''Overwatch'' for teams such as BK Stars, Selfless Gam ...

Ridge between Muldrow and Traleika Glaciers, about away from Denali.

References

External links

Robert Tatum
at Peakbagger.com
Robert G. Tatum Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatum, Robert 1891 births 1964 deaths American Episcopal priests American mountain climbers Denali People from Knoxville, Tennessee People from the Territory of Alaska Sewanee: The University of the South alumni